School(s):
University of Texas at El Paso; University of Oklahoma College of Law

Susana Martinez was sworn in as governor of New Mexico on January 1, 2011, and re-elected in 2014. She is New Mexico’s first female governor and the first elected Hispanic female governor in U.S. history.

Prior to serving as governor, Martinez was a prosecutor for 25 years. In 1996, she was elected district attorney for the Third Judicial District in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. She was subsequently re-elected three times, holding the position for 14 years, where she personally prosecuted some of the toughest cases, such as physical and sexual child abuse and child homicide. She was twice named New Mexico’s Prosecutor of the Year.

Martinez is married to Chuck Franco. Her stepson, Carlo, is a veteran of U.S. Navy Special Operations. Governor Martinez is the caretaker of her older sister, Lettie, who has cerebral palsy and is developmentally disabled.